Dec 16 2008
Sanitize your Kids Toys without Compromising your Health
When I was just out of high school I got two jobs in order to try to save up enough money to move out of my parent’s house. One of those jobs was working at a children’s center and I was in charge of cleaning up and watching the two and three year old classes while the teachers for those classes took their breaks. Even though, at that time, I knew nothing about how to tend to children, I was pretty good at cleaning up spills and sanitizing the toys at the end of the day.
One of the main cleaning agents this child facility used was chlorine bleach. At the time I would stick the toys in the bleach, it would coat my hands and I would even touch my arm and my face not knowing exactly how health-effecting it really was.
The Health Department requires cleaning with the chemical because it was the only thing at the time, which was 12 years ago, that would kill germs and bacteria. So with this knowledge of bacteria-killing properties, parents would use the cleaning agent in their own homes as well. But, since that time when chlorine bleach was the number one bacteria-killing choice, there have been some drastic developments and a lot of facilities and even households have stopped using it. But, where does a parent turn if they still want to have a germ-free and sanitary environment for the children and their toys they play with everyday. Here are some other sanitizing toy suggestions without having to bring in deadly chemicals into your home.
1. Prevent and get rid of Smells: Place a stuffed toy into a plastic bag with a few tbs. of cornstarch and shake. Dust the cornstarch off the toy and the smell has disappeared. If the smell is heavy, continue till it is gone entirely. 2. Prevent bacteria and get rid of dirt: Run plastic toys such as action figures, toys cars and even baby rattles through the dishwasher on the upper rack. You can also throw stuffed or cloth toys into a pillowcase and run through the washing cycle, then in the dry on a low setting till almost dry then hang to dry the rest of the way.
3. Soak the toys to kill germs: Instead of the more popular known method of soaking in chlorine bleach, soak the toys in one part distilled white vinegar and 1 part water for about 20 minutes or overnight if need be.
